AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Hands-On Preview

Today, AMD released two new six-core processors, the Phenom II X6 1090T and Phenom II X6 1055T. The two AMD processors don't break the bank, but they also don't set any speed records either. The Phenom II X6 1090T will retail for $295, and the Phenom II X6 1055T will cost $200.

Both chips have the same features, but they differ in clock speed and turbo core speed. Turbo core is new to the Phenom architecture and functions similarly to Intel's turbo boost feature. AMD's implementation recognizes when a particular application is not highly multithreaded and boosts the chip's clock speed by up to 500MHz.

Phenom II X6 1090T
Speed - 3.3GHz
Turbo Core - 3.6GHz
L2 Cache - 3MB
L3 Cache - 6MB

Phenom II X6 1055T
Speed - 2.8GHz
Turbo Core - 3.2GHz
L2 Cache - 3MB
L3 Cache - 6MB

To go with the new processors, AMD also released the 890FX motherboard chipset, which supports two 16-lane PCI express slots, 6Gbps SATA, and, depending upon the motherboard, USB 3.0 support. However, you don't need to upgrade to the 890FX in order to take advantage of the new six-core processors. AMD indicated that the Phenom II X6 is backward compatible with AM2+ and AM3 motherboards--quite a boon for users that want a drop-in upgrade.

At the $285 price point, the Phenom II X6 1090T lines up with Intel's Core i7 930 and Core i7 860 (both are mostly identical CPUs that differ based on socket compatibility). We tested with the Core i7 930 across a broad selection of games. The tests were divided into two categories--those that were CPU limited (low resolution/quality tests) and those that were real world or GPU limited (high resolution/high quality). The Intel CPU scored more than its fair share of wins on the CPU-limited tests. When we switched over to how users actually play games, the two chips were dead even with both CPUs largely taken out of the equation.

The Phenom II X6 1090T did not dissappoint when it came to real world gaming, but its losses on CPU-limited tests made us pause. Should you already have an AMD AM2+/AM3 platform, the Phenom II X6 1090T makes for an easy plug-in upgrade. It's really hard to go wrong for the money (especially considering that there are already $50 rebates running for it).

If you're looking at a new system, the value proposition is on AMD's side when comparing it against Intel's Core i7 930, which functions on the relatively expensive LGA1366 socket. By comparison, motherboards based on the AM2+/AM3 platform can be had for a song. However, when taking into account for the Core i7 860, our purchasing decision tilts towards Intel (which should test similarly to the 930)--as the CPU is based on the equally affordable LGA1156 socket.

System Setup: Intel Core i7 930, AMD Phenom II X6 1090T, Intel DX58S0 (6GB DDR3), MSI 890FXA-GD70 (4GB DDR3), 750GB Seagate 7200.11 SATA Hard Disk Drive, Windows 7 64-bit. Graphics Card: Radeon HD 5870, beta Catalyst 10.3.